The present invention relates to the field of display systems. More particularly, the present invention relates to display systems for supporting media or copy.
Today, business people, students and readers in general who work on the Internet and with computing and desktop productivity tools, have come to rely on bookstands, copy holders, document holder, herein referred to generally as media stands, to help them organize their work, study and reference areas. With the amount of paper, books and information that they have to deal with, media stands have become invaluable tools in organizing a variety of media content. Some are designed to be small and compact, allowing users to carry them from place to place. This feature is especially appealing to students and mobile workers. Due to its compact size, a portable media stand can usually be stored in a briefcase or school bag and can be taken where ever it is needed. Other media stands are designed to hold large, heavy books and documents, or even computer monitors. However, these types of stands and holders are of significant size, weight and cost and are often attached to the desktop or computer, thus making mobility very difficult.
Most media stands have limited functionality. In fact most media stands are designed to perform a single function which is to hold or display a book, a document or other type of media object. Also, most media stands come in point-of-purchase packaging that provide protection for the stand during its distribution to customers and/or end users, but provides no continuing benefit to the consumers or the end users and is, therefore discarded after the product is purchased.
What is needed is a method of packaging a product, such as a media stand, whereby the packaging has an xe2x80x9cafter marketxe2x80x9d use or benefit to the consumer and/or seller, thereby minimizing the after market environmental impact. Further, what is needed is a portable media stand that includes packaging that enhances the functionality of the media stand and preferably provides a support function for displaying media and content on the stand as well as a packaging function.
Accordingly, the current invention is directed to a media stand which includes a primary support structure and a functional point-of-purchase packaging, herein also referred to as a secondary support structure. The secondary support structure preferably couples to the primary support structure and provides a larger surface area for supporting lager media.
In accordance with further embodiments of the instant invention, the point-of-purchase packaging, or secondary support structure, is configured to deliver media content to the customers or end users. In accordance this embodiment of the instant invention, customers, businesses or stores can purchase a number of pre-packaged media stands which include customized secondary support structures printed with media content, such as advertising, a message or a logo. Accordingly, the packaging design makes it possible for a media content provider to directly distribute their media content to a target audience through the distribution of the media stands.
In accordance with the present invention, the customized and functional packaging can be selected from an electronic catalog accessible over the internet by the media content provider from a remote computer. For example, a customer, a business or a store can place an order for a number of media stands with their advertisement or message printed on the functional packaging, or secondary support structure, whereby the subsequent distribution the media stands to the end users also results in the distribution of the advertisement or message to the end users.
The media stand of the instant invention is preferably configured for supporting media in an upright or viewable position. The media stand can be configured to support or display any number or different media objects including, but not limited to, printed copy, books, art and photographs.
The primary support structure of the media stand preferably comprises a support member and a foot member, whereby the support member and the foot member are configured to be positioned at an angle relative to each other with a media object resting on a frontal face of the support member and with the support member and the foot member secured in an upright support position. The angle between the support member and the foot member of the primary support structure is preferably obtuse such that an media object supported or displayed on the stand can be comfortably viewed while sitting or working at a computer terminal.
The primary support structure preferably further comprises at least one platform or arm structure coupled to the frontal face of the support member for directly supporting the media object. The arm structure is preferably configured such that the angle between the frontal face of the primary support structure and the arm structure is substantially perpendicular.
During use, the primary support structure and the secondary support structure are preferably coupled or integrated. The secondary support structure is preferably formed from a sheet material, such as paper material or plastic, with multiple fold lines and perforations which form multiple panels. To integrate the primary and secondary support structure, the panels wrap around the primary support structure and secure to one or more portions of the primary support structure thereby collectively forming the media stand with a larger support surface area being provide by the secondary support structure.
The secondary support structure preferably comprises a first panel that is adapted to lie adjacent to the frontal face of the primary support structure, while a second panel is adapted fold or wrap over the back of the primary support structure and extend in a direction that is substantially perpendicular with a resting surface to provide additional support for media objects. The second panel also preferably has pleats that fold inward and provide additional structural integrity to the media stand.